The 2024 Formula 1 season was a campaign with many races defined by fine margins that decided the results.
Max Verstappen clinched his fourth world championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix despite not having the quickest car at Red Bull for much of the year.
The Dutchman won the title by 63 points over Lando Norris, partly down to winning seven of the first 10 races to build an advantage.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Max Verstappen |
437 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
374 |
| 3 |
Charles Leclerc |
356 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
292 |
| 5 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
290 |
| 6 |
George Russell |
245 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
223 |
| 8 |
Sergio Perez |
152 |
| 9 |
Fernando Alonso |
70 |
| 10 |
Pierre Gasly |
42 |
Many drivers and teams will be looking to challenge Verstappen heading into next season, including McLaren, after winning their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer feels one competitor who has scored 15 podiums in his career is being overlooked.
Jolyon Palmer feels Mercedes driver George Russell is ‘massively underrated’
George Russell has been very competitive since joining Mercedes in 2022 and partnered with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The British driver scored more points than Hamilton in the championship this season and took victory in Austria. Russell picked up the pieces after Verstappen and Lando Norris clashed at Turn 3.
Martin Brundle predicted Russell would have a strong season, and the Mercedes driver delivered, consistently finishing in and around the top five.
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Palmer feels that the 26-year-old can be underrated sometimes, and Russell can put together a campaign consistent enough to challenge for a championship.
He told the F1: Chequered Flag podcast: “I have this feeling that George Russell is massively underrated. Every year, we talk about how good Lewis Hamilton is.
“You know, everything that he’s achieved apart from this year. But we talk about he’s lost it. We’re not mentioning the fact that Russell might be an absolute championship contender.”
Russell has shown he can win races on pure pace, such as in Las Vegas, where the German team revelled in the freezing cold conditions.
He has also battled fiercely in wheel-to-wheel combat, such as in Spain earlier this season as Russell raced Norris in a superb duel.
George Russell has more responsibility next season as Mercedes’ leading driver
Russell will stay at Mercedes for next season and will be partnered by 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who is stepping up from Formula 2.
Antonelli is starting on the back foot next season as he missed the Super Formula test at Suzuka, which would have given him valuable experience on the track ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Russell will have to step up and lead the team, as his new teammate has much to learn after being fast-tracked up the junior ladder.
During his stint at Williams, the 26-year-old was the number one driver, but there is significantly more pressure and expectation at Mercedes.
The Mercedes team can’t give Antonelli too much information about Russell and how he drives the car, as it may confuse him.
